These women are at times sad, other times crazy, but most of the time downright silly and anything but real.

However, I have realized that watching them every week really does make me a better person. It helps my personal life, my relationship and my career.

I’m sitting here watching the conclusion to this season of the OC wives and realizing how much I have taken from this show this year – probably more than they meant to give.

There are so many examples of lessons that I’ve learned just this season: work ethic always wins out, be confident, keep surprises in your relationship but also some normalcy…there are really too many to list. I mean, I’m sure I knew all of these things from growing up in a family full of strong-willed women (that’s one thing to call them lol). But watching this show every week is like a mini lesson to remind me – and I’ve always been good at school.

Vicki Gunvalson

I think that the best lessons I learned, or re-learned, these past months can be exemplified in Vicki‘s story.

Now, I hadn’t watched this show in a year or two and the last time I checked Vicki was the biggest biatch of them all. She was awful to her husband and rude to everyone else. She seemed to not care about anyone but herself. I used to just watch this show to laugh at the Housewives but this season Vicki turned my head.

She is the best picture of a second chance that I’ve ever seen in my life.

With cameras following her every move, she was still able to completely turn every aspect of her life around. She admitted to the world that she had a problem and that she had been treating her husband unfairly.

So, this season she put all of her efforts into her family and her marriage. She surprised her husband with a special trip and a new and improved wedding ring. She spent more time with her children: welcoming her son into her real estate business, standing by her daughter while she awaited tumor biopsy results and even inviting her on a Housewives trip.

But most impressive to me was her efforts in her marriage, with the high point being a surprise trip to Turks and Caicos and a surprise renewal of their wedding vows. Her husband cried.

Suddenly, Vicki had gone from this harsh woman (that I would never want to be like) to this amazing woman who was able to very quickly turn her life around and become the kind of woman I hope to be someday – an amazing wife and a wonderful mother.

And somehow she was also able to keep her sharp, girl-power attitude.

There was a lot of the usual high drama and some really sad moments, but for me, Vicki was the shining beacon making me think, “Hey, maybe they’re not all vapid push-overs.”

She is constantly pushing those around her to be stronger women and constantly giving her children real-world advice and skills (like a financial advisor) to help them succeed, instead of just money like the other wives. Some people would say she’s too pushy, but I think that she is just a manager, as am I. I mean, her children are the only adult Housewife children to have real jobs (nurse and real estate agent)!

Point and case: Vicki is the only Housewife with a real-world job, which she rocks at – her family is one of only two families on the show not having some kind of financial problem. In my opinion, after an awful season where she was called a horrible wife, she has totally turned it around and now her marriage seems the healthiest of all. And her children are successful and have decent, if not great, relationships with her.

So, other Housewives: step off!

And the rest of the world who think all these women are stupid: respect!

If you don’t believe me about learning life lessons from this woman, check out the OC Housewives season 5 for yourself. And if you get a chance, check out one or two episodes of a previous season to see how much she has changed. I promise you will be impressed.